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Triggering the production of the cryptic blue pigment indigoidine from Photorhabdus luminescens

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2011.10.002Get rights and content

Abstract

The production of the blue pigment indigoidine has been achieved in the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens by a promoter exchange and in Escherichia coli following heterologous expression of the biosynthesis gene indC. Moreover, genes involved in the regulation of this previously “silent” biosynthesis gene cluster have been identified in P. luminescens.

Highlights

► Promoter exchange as simple way to induce the production of the cryptic blue pigment indigoidine from Photorhabdus. ► Heterologous expression in E. coli as another way to produce indigoidine. ► Different regulatory mechanisms for indigoidine biosynthesis in Photorhabdus and E. coli. ► Identification of genes acting as repressors in the indigoidine biosynthesis in Photorhabdus. ► Phylogenetic analysis of indC and comparative cluster analysis indicates horizontal transfer of the indigoidine biosynthesis gene cluster.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Sebastian Fuchs for help with the HRMALDI-MS analysis. This work was supported by the German Research Council (DFG) and the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 223328.

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